Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson read along

On holiday at the moment which is why this is late as limited wifi. Plus I can’t put all the blog links in from here but will do so once I get home. So for now it’s just the Q&A. Beware of spoilers below and remember it’s still not too late to join the party.

1. Both Kabsal and Jasnah have spoken to Shallan about stealing the Soulcaster, and both have done so in a pretty lighthearted manner, considering how serious it would actually be to steal it. Do you think Kabsal was telling the truth when he brushed off Shallan’s questions about his plan to steal the Soulcaster? Is he still interested in stealing it? Does he have other, deeper motives??

I really don’t know what’s going on with that. In fact I was genuinely surprised when he said that had been his plan all along. Isn’t he supposed to be one of the good guys? Or is stealing just ok in general?

2. By the end of the section, Shallan has found out that she’ll be able to return home in one week, but she’s torn between wanting to continue her studies, and being able to take the stolen Soulcaster home. So far it looks like her theft hasn’t been detected, but do you think she’ll be found out before that time? Do you think she should leave, or might decide on her own to stay? Could something else happen to make her stay?

Frankly I think something may happen to make Shallan stay. It seems like she’s losing focus anyway and is enjoying being with Jasnah. I wonder if something ‘bad’ will happen. Perhaps Jasnah will need the soul caster in a life and death situation and so Shallan’s hand will be forced.

3. How much do you think Jasnah actually knows about the theft of her Soulcaster? Is it even remotely possible that Jasnah is still in the dark about it? If she knows, did she in fact dupe Shallan with a fake, as Shallan theorizes? Or did Jasnah let her steal it? Why??

I can’t help feeling that everything has proved just too easy for Shallan so far. It makes me suspect that Jasnah really knows what is going on but is giving Shallan a chance to do the right thing. Jasnah certainly doesn’t come across as a fool so it’s difficult to believe that she would be so easily taken in.

4. During the Highstorm, Kaladin experiences a lull during which the wind and rain stop, he feels no more pain, and he sees an enormous “face of blackness, yet faintly traced in the dark”. The face is described as, “Inhuman. Smiling.” Was Kaladin just hallucinating? If not, do you think this being had something to do with recharging the sphere? With Kaladin somehow feeling better before the storm kicked up again? Or could this being be malevolent? Thoughts/theories??

Why the hell was that face just smiling. It gave me the hebejeebies! What’s there to smile about. Does this ‘thing’ know Kaladin or what? I think the spheres are recharged through the magic in the storm. A bit like lightening and electricity. I don’t think Kaladin was hallucinating. My first thought was void bringer but that’s purely based on the fact that Kaladin seemed to be temporarily suspended in a void when he saw the face. My thoughts are definitely muddled with this one. I think the sphere was helping to protect Kaladin during the storm and then the spheres from Teft we’re helping him to recover. In terms of the face it felt like it was curious about Kaladin? Like it was wondering who he was?

5. Before Kaladin is forced to endure the Highstorm, he tells his men to come out after the storm is over; he says he’ll open his eyes and look back at them, and they’ll know that he survived. Kaladin obviously survives, and everyone in Bridge Four is really glad about that. But we haven’t yet seen a reaction from anyone other than Kal’s men. Do you think Kaladin’s survival could have a wider impact than just giving his own group of bridgemen hope?

Well so far it just seems to be bringing yet more heaps of shit on the whole crew – chasm duty! I think Kaladin will definitely play a bigger role somewhere along the line. Just not sure of when or how just yet.

6. We learn quite a bit about Teft in this section… kind of. But pretty much everything we learn just leads to more questions. What do you think about these “Envisagers” Teft mentions? How much do you think Teft knows about Kaladin’s ability to use Stormlight? It seemed like Teft became wary of Kaladin after he recovered – why? Do you think he’ll tell Kaladin about what he knows?

I think that Teft has reached a conclusion about Kaladin – the same conclusion that we’re all trying to get to. He clearly knows something. Perhaps he’s aware of a prophecy and he thinks Kaladin might be the one to fulfill it.

Very interesting reading this week. Revelations about Kaladin’s dad and how he actually came by the spheres. Then Laurel – oh dear!